My take on the Shaper Stock Chair

[4nthony]

A few things I've been wanting to do:
- Make some joinery using Shaper Origin
- Make a jig to dish out a seat and backrest for a chair build, and...
- Make an actual chair

Over an Shaper Hub, there are plans for the Stock Chair that I'd been thinking would be a good first chair project. It's pretty basic as far as chairs go and after watching the Shaper Sessions guys go through the build, I decided to skip the plans and just wing it.

I had some quarter sawn 4/4 white oak that I milled and laminated into 8/4 boards. Once those were cut to size, I mounted them in the Shaper Workstation and went to work cutting the mortise and tenons. Using the Origin for joinery is almost as easy as the Domino and after cutting a few, I was questioning whether I should keep using the Origin.

Edit: I think for any future chair project, I'll probably use the Domino, unless I want to do some kind of decorative through tenon.

Legs, arms, stretchers, rails, slats....

One issue I ran into was when cutting the mortises in the legs. The front legs are shorter than the rear legs and after gridding, I must've cut the back leg mortises measuring from the top and the front legs measuring from the bottom. The difference wasn't much -- about 1.5mm -- but it introduced a visual alignment issue, along with a wobble, so I decided to plug the mortises and recut them, but this time using Plate instead of Workstation. They used Workstation in the video but I felt the longer legs were a bit unwieldy and it was much easier to clamp the legs to the front of my workbench and use the Plate to make sure everything was aligned.

Out of the 12 mortises I cut, I ended up plugging and recutting 8 of them (including a 9th, that was simply misplaced).

Fortunately, the 10 mortises for the chair slats were correct on both sides and didn't need to be plugged and recut.

From what I've learned, in traditional mortise and tenon joinery, you cut the mortise first, then size your tenon appropriately. With Origin, you cut the tenon first, then size the mortise to fit the tenon. This is easily accomplished with offsets, and I was able to get a nice friction fit with a .15mm offset.

In the original plans, they used 2" webbing to create the chair seat. I was never planning on using webbing so I milled up the slats. After a dry fit with the slats in place, it looked more like a table with arms so it was time to make the jig for dishing out the seat.

I created the outline in Shaper Studio, cut it on some MDF, and secured the slats in place.

The slats were intentionally set a couple mm below the rails, and because I was winging it and not going from any plans, dishing out the seat and having lower slats create a slight issue with the front stretcher.

I also should've made a much larger router base as the one I was using required me to move a piece of scrap MDF around inside the dishing jig and in a few places, the router tipped and the bit dug a little bit deeper into the slats.

Here's the issue up close. The slats are now lower than the front stretcher and I need to dish out the stretcher so it's level with the slats.

The rear stretcher is also higher than the slats, but the dish doesn't extend as far back so I ended up leaving it as is.

Here are all the parts so far. The backrest will come from the 8/4 board at the top. I missed getting a picture of the sled I used to cut the angles on the back legs.

For the backrest, I needed to make a jig for dishing it out. Woodpeckers makes a really nice template guide that I'd been eyeing since it came out, but I decided to make my own. My freehand cuts on the bandsaw are always a bit wonky and I was really impressed by how well this little guide worked. Hat tip to Laguna Tools for their how-to video! (video at bottom). I don't know how durable this will be long-term, but it's easy enough to make another when this one gets beat up.

My math was off on the first jig and there was way too much curve.

Second try turned out much better. I made some blocks to prevent the guide rods from sliding off the jig. For future dishing, I'll make larger blocks. These worked OK, but I think larger blocks will be easier to hold and slide.

Test clamping the backrest.

A few glue up shots. The front stretcher has been dished out to match up with the slats.

Front stretcher close up

Back rest clamp and glue up

Back rest trimmed and sanded

Finished with Osmo Raw Matte. The shop lights give it an amber tone but in natural light, it looks much better.

Overall, I like the chair, but I don't like it enough to build more to make a dining room set. It was fun to make and I think I've been bitten by the chair bug.

Thanks for reading!

Original chair

 

[gwendal]

Amazing job, thanks for taking the time to document the intermediate steps!

 

[woodbutcherbower]

That’s brilliant work, buddy. Not my taste regarding the styling, but the execution is super. And of course the photos documenting the whole process are gold. One question regarding the (very clever) backrest dishing jig - are the rods suspending the router just the regular ones from the parallel guide?

I’ve been Jonesing for a Shaper since it first appeared, but have never been able to justify it. Every time I see a project like this, though, I realise more and more how I could use it, and my ‘order’ trigger finger starts to quiver. One day soon, I’m sure that something will tip me over the edge.

Congrats again on a lovely piece of work.

 

[peter halle]

What a great project!  Love the fact that you spent all the time and effort to document your project journey.  That is so appreciated.  Also appreciated is your commentary - pro and con - about the use of the Shaper in this project.  My Shaper is still months away (hopefully) so seeing work like this is helpful and encouraging.

Peter

 

[Rutabagared]

Great job!  Looks great and will last for generations.

 

[nclemmons]

Very nice job.  The details in the photos are great! 

I made that chair with the webbing.  I dished out the back with a drum sander which worked well but your technique was also helpful. 

The original design is not the most comfortable chair, but I think the webbing likely has a little more 'sittability' than the dished bottom. The dished back definitely helps!

Overall, very nice work and great choice on the wood!

Thanks for sharing!

 

[4nthony]

That’s brilliant work, buddy. Not my taste regarding the styling, but the execution is super. And of course the photos documenting the whole process are gold. One question regarding the (very clever) backrest dishing jig - are the rods suspending the router just the regular ones from the parallel guide?

I’ve been Jonesing for a Shaper since it first appeared, but have never been able to justify it. Every time I see a project like this, though, I realise more and more how I could use it, and my ‘order’ trigger finger starts to quiver. One day soon, I’m sure that something will tip me over the edge.

Congrats again on a lovely piece of work.

Thanks [member=75780]woodbutcherbower[/member] Yeah, they're the stock rods for the 1400. Like most things woodworking related, I noticed it in a video. Fast forward to 7:46.


It worked well. Rub some paste wax on the rails for a smooth glide. In another video, he made a convex jig to shape the back of the backrest.

The Shaper is a very capable tool and a lot of people are doing interesting things with it. My primary use has been making templates, hardware installs, and the occasional inlay. Now that I've figured out basic joinery, I'm planning to explore more creative joinery options.

What kind of projects do you have in mind for it? Are you thinking about it from a creativity or productivity point of view?

I made that chair with the webbing.  I dished out the back with a drum sander which worked well but your technique was also helpful. 

The original design is not the most comfortable chair, but I think the webbing likely has a little more 'sittability' than the dished bottom. The dished back definitely helps!

When you did the webbing, did you do individual pieces or did you do a continuous wrap? The Shaper guys did individual pieces with each one stapled. In Jonas' first video, he did a continuous wrap (he also used the Domino).

And you're right, it's definitely not the most comfortable chair!

Cheers!

 

[woodbutcherbower]

[member=75283]4nthony[/member] Thanks for the reply. I had no idea you could use the Shaper for regular M & T work. I seem to spend half my working life hacking out mortises with an OF2200 - but then it's sometimes time-consuming and difficult to get the tenons super-precise (as you say, regular joinery involves doing these second). Cutting the mortises after you've made the tenons is really interesting to me. I currently spend way too much time setting up the spindle moulder to make snug-fitting tenons, and I'm interested in trying this method out using the 'offset' function you wrote about. I'm also interested in doing some inlay work in the future. I've always been very impressed by the inlay stuff [member=58857]Crazyraceguy[/member] does - even that recent Milwaukee logo  [big grin] [big grin] [big grin]

Thanks again for the reply.

 

[rvieceli]

[member=75283]4nthony[/member] that was a lovely result from a well documented project. Thanks for posting.

If you are on instagram, squarerule makes for an interesting follow.
https://www.instagram.com/squarerule/

Ron

 

[Crazyraceguy]

[member=75283]4nthony[/member] That looks great. I like your interpretation far more than the original. The main reason I haven't tackled that project is the functionality. It just looks uncomfortable. As a tall person, I don't like low-back chairs in the first place, and the overall "squareness" of the rest of the design puts me off too.
You seem to have improved it a lot. The curve of the back has to make it better as well as the scoop of the seat. Personally, I would think that dropping the back of the seat a couple of inches would probably help the "fit" some too, but that is kind of getting out of the scope of the project. I think I would also either miter the arm into the leg or run the arm over the leg, changing the end-grain from facing up to facing forward. I might have gone with a bent lamination for the back, just because it is visible from both sides, unlike the seat, where the bottom can remain flat and be unnoticed. It becomes a lot of work though, building the forms takes a lot of time, and for one chair, maybe not worth it?
Just thinking "out loud" as they say, not criticizing your work at all. It's a great looking job, better than the model you started from. I especially like the way you angled the top of the back legs to make them flow into the back panel. A subtle detail that makes a big difference.
I have always wanted to build a guitar....but since I can't play it when I'm done, not likely to ever happen.

Thank you for the kind words Kevin [member=75780]woodbutcherbower[/member] 
I initially bought the Shaper as a learning experience, and it took me some time to get along with it. I just didn't have the time to dedicate to it, and that held me back some. My experience with Inkscape was not so great. Learning two things at once by watching videos at home, while the machine was 20 miles away, then trying to apply what I had seen was a challenge. After a while it just sort of clicked and I got better exponentially. At that point it started to become useful at work too. I have done quite a few templates and hardware installs that would have been much more difficult any other way, and a lot of that has been with the "on-board" capability of the machine, not external programs or files.
It's not the "end all be all" thing though, as 4nthony noted. Just another tool in the box to get you to the end. I have made several jigs with it for use with a router. That is often easier, quicker, and far more portable. Plus, the jig can be used by someone else.
As 4nthony mentioned, many times the Domino is faster/easier. There is a lot less calculating going on with loose tenons, where you don't have to account for the extra length of the tenon itself.
Shaper, as a company, deserves some credit here too. They are continually improving the user experience with software updates, accessories and services to make every aspect of the system.

That pattern I made for the keyhole slots in those mirror frames is a perfect example. I made the slots to fit a bushing size that I had for my OF1010 (17mm) with the Origin, then cut the frames with the OF1010. I even went as far as to set up one of my Makita compact routers with a 5/8" bushing and a 1/8" bit to run through first, taking some of the load off of the keyhole bit. There were 40 slots total required for the small frames and 24 more for the larger frames, and that little bit had to deal with White Oak for all of them.
Origin could have done it, but not nearly as quickly and would have left the installers with figuring out the layout on the wall. By making a full sized pattern, they can hold it to the wall, exactly where they want it, and mark the wall for screws. It should be very easy, even if the pattern is not perfect, they were all made with it, they have to fit.

Sorry 4nthony, I kind of got off-topic

 

[nclemmons]

@4anthony - I did strips of webbing on the chair I made from the Shaper plans, not a full wrap.  They have held up well with no sag. 

 

[4nthony]

[member=75283]4nthony[/member] That looks great. I like your interpretation far more than the original. The main reason I haven't tackled that project is the functionality. It just looks uncomfortable. As a tall person, I don't like low-back chairs in the first place, and the overall "squareness" of the rest of the design puts me off too.

Yeah, it's not very comfortable. I'm 6'2 and the backrest hits in an uncomfortable spot on my lower back. My wife is 5'2 and she's comfy in it. The squareness is another reason I don't think I'll make more. I feel like if I asked my 5 year old daughter to draw a chair, it would look like this. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I think I want to try my hand at making a chair that is either square-ish with more details or something more curvy with Danish influences. I'm intrigued by the idea of wrapping the seat and backrest with Danish cord, though I imagine it will take quite a while.

You seem to have improved it a lot. The curve of the back has to make it better as well as the scoop of the seat. Personally, I would think that dropping the back of the seat a couple of inches would probably help the "fit" some too, but that is kind of getting out of the scope of the project. I think I would also either miter the arm into the leg or run the arm over the leg, changing the end-grain from facing up to facing forward.

Dropping the rear of the seat at an angle to compliment the backrest would've been a good idea. Now that I think about it, a bridle joint would've looked good at the arm/leg intersection (I like the look of exposed end grain).

I might have gone with a bent lamination for the back, just because it is visible from both sides, unlike the seat, where the bottom can remain flat and be unnoticed. It becomes a lot of work though, building the forms takes a lot of time, and for one chair, maybe not worth it?

That's another task I want to try. I've been re-sawing some scrap 4/4 white oak down to about 5mm thick to make some ornaments for my daughter's class and thinking I might have to make a test form to see how well it bends. I'd have an excuse to get a drum sander if I did that [cool]

Just another tool in the box to get you to the end.

Speaking of more tools in the box, do any of you use a hollow-chisel mortiser? It's a tool I don't need, but for some reason, I really want one.

 

[rmwarren]

I'm kinda partial to the foureyes Glenn chair, or a similar style. Bonus they have a matching ottoman.

[attachimg=1]
https://foureyes.podia.com/glenn-lc-project

Their plans include SVG files, handy, and of course they have videos of the builds.

RMW

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Speaking of more tools in the box, do any of you use a hollow-chisel mortiser? It's a tool I don't need, but for some reason, I really want one.

I don't have a dedicated one, but I do have an "adapter" style unit that fits onto the drill press function of my Shop-Smith. I have never used it for that though.
After owning a Domino and Shaper Origin, I just don't see the need?

Bent-lamination is a cool technique, that I have used several times. It is far easier and more predictable than steam bending. I did a job several years ago, where they insisted they did not want laminations. Steam bending was pretty much the only other way. If they didn't want laminations, segments weren't going to get it either. I suppose you could do a huge panel glue-up and bandsaw them out of that, but it's a huge waste of material.
I had to change the shape of the form a few times to compensate for the spring-back. Plus, it's slow. You have to leave the piece in the form while it cools and dries, which takes far longer than glue curing.
I had 5 of these tables to do, with 2 strips each, and 2 forms. It took at least 2 days for each one. (plus a few failures in the experimental stage)
Fortunately, it was mostly just waiting time, after a couple of hours in the steam every morning.
It became a "side project" every other day, while working on other parts of the job.
The parts needed to fit nearly perfect, with no pressure, because they had to be mitered to each other.
They have been in a public library for over 8 years, with no failures, thanks to the "no tension" as applied.
The wider, lower sections are bending ply with veneer.

 

[rvieceli]

Something that I keep wondering about is the Pantorouter. I’ve seen folks do some amazing joinery with it.
https://www.pantorouter.com/

Ron

 

[Crazyraceguy]

Something that I keep wondering about is the Pantorouter. I’ve seen folks do some amazing joinery with it.
https://www.pantorouter.com/

Ron

Yes, I could see that being fun to mess with. I remember David Marks using one on the TV show WoodWerks (HGTV) many years ago. They were insanely expensive back then, but I think they are getting more affordable lately? Maybe it's just my perception of money [unsure]